Games Released in March 2003

161 new games debuted in March 2003, with PlayStation 2 being the most active platform. March 28 was the busiest day, with 35 releases. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! was the most popular release of the month.

Which days had the most releases?

March 28 saw the most activity with 35 releases.

35 releases

March 28

22 releases

March 14

20 releases

March 27

18 releases

March 20

How did each week compare?

The fourth week of March was the busiest with 88 releases.

Week 1 (March 1–7)

50 releases

Most popular release in Week 1

Freelancer

Eight hundred years prior to the start of our story, bitter conflict divided all of mankind. A handful of colonists struck out on their own to begin anew - far away from the Earth and its turmoil. Several ships were launched with enough equipment and supplies to give the hundreds onboard a fighting chance - but since the area around far-off Sirius had never been surveyed, no one really knew what to expect. What they found was a new frontier of free-flowing natural resources, unexplored territories, great wonders and lurking dangers. Each ship, representing the clusters of people and their earthly place of origin, settled into different parts of the galaxy pre-selected by their ship-board computer to give them the best chance of survival. Life was hard in the beginning, but over the 800 years the different colonies prospered and expanded their territories, claiming more and more systems for their own. Survival and propagation eventually led to growth and profit as each of the colonies developed specialties and fostered commerce. As the colonies grew and time passed their connections with their roots on Earth dwindled and they lost their memories of the conflicts of the past. Soon their attention was dominated by new, more immediate conflicts. Feelings of lost ancestral connection spurred anachronism in the look of the great cities, and created a somewhat distorted image of each colony's cultural heritage. In the ever-expanding outer edge of the territories, frontier lawlessness prevailed. The Houses: Each shipboard colony that left Earth carried some memory of its origins in its name. The Liberty carried Americans, The Bretonia flew from The United Kingdom and surrounding territory, The Kusari from Asia, and the Rheinland launched with Germanic cargo. As each ship settled and colonies began to expand, they knew little about each other and their advancing development. Finally, little by little, the individual colonies found each other and began to set up trade routes to link their systems for commerce and solidarity. Today, with each colony firmly rooted in its respective corner of the galaxy, the colonies rely heavily on each other for trade and industry but also compete for resources and new territories in the Border Worlds. The colonies mandate member governments in "The New Alliance" within the Sirius sector. To control conflicts, each colony has forged alliances and treaties with others as they have grown. Competition remains fierce, however. Struggles rage for supremacy in business, commerce, resources, power and control. There can be tenuous peace between colonies' political agendas, but the grabs for holdings constantly unsettle the volatile frontier.

Week 2 (March 8–14)

58 releases

Most popular release in Week 2

Final Fantasy X-2

Final Fantasy X-2 is the direct sequel to Final Fantasy X, developed and published by Square Enix. It was the first direct sequel game in the Final Fantasy series and the first to feature an all-female playable cast. It also returned to the job system not seen in the main series since Final Fantasy V. The game uses a character class system where the equipped dressphere determines her abilities and stats. Party members can switch to any dressphere in their Garment Grid to swap to new skills and adapt to different opponents. It makes use of the Active Time Battle system that was absent from Final Fantasy X. The party has access to all locations early on and can visit them through the Celsius, complete several minigames and sidequests in a chapter before progressing through the story to the next one.

Week 3 (March 15–21)

67 releases

Most popular release in Week 3

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!

Frantic action! Prepare for lightning-quick game play as you blaze through over 200 bizarre microgames designed by a crazy crew of Wario's cronies! There are even two-player contests that can be played on a single Game Boy Advance! Pick up and play! Ultra-simple controls make each game easy to get into...until the games start coming faster... and faster...and FASTER!

Week 4 (March 22–28)

88 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

Guilty Gear X2 #Reload

As humanity endeavored to better themselves, they created the biological marvel known as Gears. Originally intended as the next step of human evolution, they were instead fitted for war and turned against their own creators.

Week 5 (March 29–31)

13 releases

Most popular release in Week 5

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo

The loony fighter-slash-puzzle arcade game, ready to carry on the go on your Game Boy Advance!

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PlayStation 2 received 70 new titles in March 2003. The runner up was PC with 66 new titles.

PlayStation 270 releases

PC66 releases

Game Boy Advance44 releases

Xbox31 releases

Nintendo GameCube29 releases

PlayStation14 releases

Legacy Mobile Device6 releases

Mac4 releases

WonderSwan Color4 releases

Arcade3 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in March 2003 with 72 titles. Simulator followed closely with 40.

Adventure72

Simulator40

Shooter35

Sport31

Role-playing30

Platform29

Strategy25

Fighting20

Arcade19

Puzzle18

2003 Review

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